Territory touring!

Quick paws were heard breaking the serene silence of the early morning. The deputy had just sent out the dawn patrol and was now walking over to the apprentice's den. He was going to retrieve his newest apprentice, Shellpaw. Their training would begin that day. Swiftstep will start with a tour of the territory so she'd be familiar with it before hunting training.

The brown tom entered the den and looked around for the she-cat. Once he spotted her resting form, he padded up to her and shook her softly with a gentle paw. "Wake up darlin'. Your training starts today! Let us use the day wisely." With the last statement, he left the den and proceeded to wait for her at the den entrance.

Shellpaw was among the many rising and falling backs of the cats that slumbered in the apprentices' den. Her snoozing was softly interrupted as she felt the gentle shake of a cat's paw, and blinked groggily. Her weary light blue eyes could just make out Swiftstep's lumbering figure and pelt. She nodded lightly at his words, getting up and proceeding to make out a short routine that got her appearance and mind ready for the approaching day. 

Padding out of the den, Shellpaw sauntered over to Swiftstep at the camp entrance, greeting him with a polite nod of the head.

The brown tom grinned at the apprentice and rose from his sitting position. He beckoned for her to follow his lead toward the camp entrance. There was really no need to rush but he awoke her early so they'd get this tour done quicker and have most of the day off.

Once the duo stepped out of the camp, the tom turned to address Shellpaw, "Since this is your first day of training and first day out of the camp, i'll be taking you out on a tour of the whole territory. We'll be taking a look at the borders first so be ready to memorize them. It's very important you do so. Alright, follow me. Our first stop is the Gorge." Once he finished talking, Swiftstep began walking to the Riverclan border.

It wasn't too long of a walk to the Gorge. As they reached the dangerous area, Swiftstep stopped them a good amount of lengths away from the edge. "This is the Gorge. It's the border we share with Riverclan. This place has caused many deaths and injuries because foolish cats attempt to cross in unsafe ways. This place has cause many bad memories too..." The last statement was spoken under his breath. He shook his head slightly before continuing, "Shellpaw, I don't expect you to know much at this stage but i'm curious, what do you know about Riverclan?"

Looking at Swiftstep's obvious grin, the dull she-cat returned a closed, small smile to him as she watched him rise and lead her to what would be her first day as an apprentice. She did not mind the brown tom's seemingly quick pace and was satisfied with how he had started moving things along.

As they stepped out of the confinement of the WindClan camp, Shellpaw's pale blue eyes followed her mentor's as he spoke. She nodded in confirmation at his first choice for her apprenticeship, following him to where he led her.

The apprentice soon became very aware of when they would be arriving at their destination. The loud sound of water plunging into another body of water was evident, and she was sure they were travelling to a waterfall of sorts. When they got there, Shellpaw was silently thankful for Swiftstep stopping her, otherwise, she might've walked up to the edge. Peering at the depths of the place from what she could see, her gazing was interrupted by her mentor's voice. Her gaze alternated between him and the Gorge as he spoke of the dangers of the place in curiosity and interest. She did not quite catch one thing Swiftstep said but figured it wasn't important, otherwise he would have spoken up.

She blinked as she was asked what she knew about RiverClan. "Um... w-well, I'm aware that they're a rival Clan, and there's a lot of hostility between us and them at the moment. Otherwise, I'm unsure of much else."

OOC: Forgive me for the very late reply! ;-;

IC: Swiftstep purred and nodded, pleased with what Shellpaw had said. "You are very knowledgeable in what has gone on and is going on with the clans. I'll tell you a few more details for this clan. Riverclan lives by the river, hence their name. They're skilled at swimming so they have a certain advantage over all the other clans when it comes to battling. That is, only if the fight takes place near any water. They're not as stealthy and cunning as Shadowclan or as swift and agile as us. They aren't the best jumpers or tree climbers like Skyclan nor are they the most sturdiest or bravest like Thunderclan. They are very clever however. Sometimes they can make do with anything." The deputy sent the apprentice a grin before beginning to walk after having ended his small lecture. "It's time to go see the Thunderpath! Follow me."

The apprentice and mentor duo soon arrived at the ominous Thunderpath. The place stunk of horrible fumes as always so the tom had stopped them a good amount of lengths away. "This is the Thunderpath. It is the border between us and Shadowclan. Thunderclan also borders Shadowclan here. Huge monsters with shiny bodies come running across every so often at an insane speed and they could crush any cat so it's foolish for apprentices to cross without a warrior to supervise. This place is very deadly and dangerous for even those on the sidelines as there had been multiple stories of monsters straying off of the path. We'll be staying here for a bit so you can see what a monster looks like. As we're waiting, can you tell me anything you know about Shadowclan?"

ooc; it's all good! lol

Shellpaw gave a small, nervous smile in return to the tom's purr, but her expression quickly returned to an attentive look as he informed her more clearly of RiverClan, nodding, now aware of the advantages and disadvantages the opposing Clan held. At Swiftstep's next words, the dull she-cat's mind froze for a bit. The Thunderpath... it sounded ominously familiar to the apprentice. Perhaps she had heard some queens in the nursery talking about it?... Shellpaw wasn't quite sure, but she supposed she would find out soon, following her brown mentor to the destination.

As they arrived, Shellpaw's small nose shrivelled in distaste. If they had gone closer, the area would have had no natural scent at all, she could already smell the disgusting scent of smoke and tainted fumes. The new apprentice almost shrunk at Swiftstep's sinister words- she didn't want to go anywhere near this place anymore. But now, she had remembered- laying in the nursery, she had overheard some of the queens talking in hushed voices about their recalls and memories of the place. However, when her mentor asked her again about what she knew of one of the Clans, her mind was cleared and replaced with a new thought. "Um, I don't know much... anything really. I just know they seem to come off as mysterious and dark from the way I've heard cats talk about them."

Swiftstep nodded once again, proud that Shellpaw retained information that she hears from others. It's something not many are capable of. "They are a very mysterious clan. They rely on stealth and darkness when battling. The shadows are their greatest ally. Their territory is mostly marshy so they're not afraid to get their paws wet..." The deputy quickly shut his mouth and turned to look back at the Thunderpath. He felt the ground beneath him start to shake. "Look to the path! A monster will pass any moment now!" As he finished saying that. A giant beast with a shiny blue body roared past them, leaving a familiar foul odor in it's wake as it speed along.

After everything died down, the tom turned to look at Shellpaw. "What do you think of monsters?" asked Swiftstep with a hint of playfulness in his voice.

At Swiftstep's nod of confirmation, Shellpaw's wide, pale blue gaze returned to the Thunderpath in anxiety, his information about ShadowClan still getting to her head but being slightly ignored- she could only think about the Thunderpath. The blackened, smoke-abundant path stunk rotten, so monstrous creatures of similar characteristics must roam there as well. She could only imagine what they look like from that statement.

Soon, she wouldn't have to. Her small, light paws felt a steady rumbling grow stronger and stronger and her dull brown fur started to fluff up apprehensively, looking at the source of the vibrations without Swiftstep having to tell her. The apprentice nearly jumped out of her fur as the giant thing sped past them with a roar- leaving behind an even nastier scent than before. 

The she-cat almost glared at Swiftstep as he asked of her opinion, but it was only a stare. "I don't ever want to come near one of them..." She shivered slightly, remembering the same feeling she had felt only moments before.

"That's understandable. They're merciless creatures. They won't slow or stop for anybody."  meowed the brown tom as he got up onto his paws and beckoned the apprentice to follow. "We have finished checking the borders but let's take a look at our own territory." Swiftstep said as he began walking inland.

The duo eventually reached a tree stump that provided a good look at the rest of the territory. It was the Lone Stump. It was also the deputy's favorite thinking place. It was serene and it calmed his mind. He hoped Shellpaw would come to appreciate the serenity this place offered so she may come here to clear away any swirling thoughts.

"This here's the Lone Stump. It's where many come to think and just enjoy some peace and quiet but it's also home to many prey so that's also a good bonus. I come here many times. It really helps me relax. Come, sit with me on top. Let's just enjoy some quiet atmosphere before we continue on." Swiftstep leaped up onto the stump and made some room for the apprentice. He scanned the territory, clearly enjoying the view as he always did.

ooc; me: i love windclan and it's one of my favorite clans alongside thunderclan | shell: what is this clan why is everything so weird

The monsters Shellpaw had just witnessed racing by her and Swiftstep still lingered in her overflowing thoughts, but she eventually snapped out of it as her pale blue eyes spotted the brown tom's beckoning, to which she complied, her fast heartbeat still making her light brown paws pulse. 

The dull she-cat blinked in slight curiosity and confusion as Swiftstep led her to a plain old stump. Was a stump really a declared piece of the territory? Alright, then...

'Oh.' was Shellpaw's thought as the deputy explained what the stump was for. It made more sense to her now, she supposed, but she still wasn't very interested. Even though her boredom, she leapt on the smoothened log beside Swiftstep. As she looked across the territory, she actually started to feel some tranquillity. 'Maybe it isn't so weird.'